


Flame Trees

by miss_nettles_wife



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: AU, Drug Use (Mentioned), F/F, Future AU, Gen, Hospital, Injury, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, One sided pairing, Texting, but theres new rangers dont worry, drug transporting, its...not as depressing as it sounds i swear, overdose (mentioned), power rangers are broken up, reconcilliation, side pairing trimberly, techology, text talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-05 14:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11014953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_nettles_wife/pseuds/miss_nettles_wife
Summary: Power Rangers (2017) / Little Fish (2005) auWhen Jason Scott fell from grace (the second time), he fell hard. But he's doing his best to put his life back together. He's kind of doing it, too. He has a job, has a place to live, and is doing his damnedest to repair his relationship with his father and sister. But when things go wrong, it never happens in just one way. When Jason thought the most stressful part of his week was seeing Billy (and dealing with the unresolved feelings) for the first time in six years,  life throws him a curve ball. In the shape of his sister Pearl.





	1. The Flame Trees

**Author's Note:**

> Ive been working on this fic for a couple of months now and I'm very nervous to be sharing it with you!! But I hope that you enjoy it! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated <3.  
> For the purpose of transparency: Yes, I do know the timeline of the original Power Rangers. No, I have not seen anything other than the most recent movie.

 

 

 

_Tommy O_

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 8:00am] youre late_

_[RECEIVED AT: 8:00am] we really  need you on shift today _

 

 

_[SENT AT: 8:02am] I’m going to be 10 min late. Over slept._

 

 

“I already told you, Zack, I don’t want you smoking that shit while I’m here.” If Zack cares about Jason’s request, then he doesn’t show it. But he does put the lighter down, which Jason counts as a good sign. He tugs his denim jacket  tightly  around his shoulders. Even though he knows damn well that it will not keep the chill out of his bones. He needed to invest in a new jacket, or take his father up on the offer for a new one. But he also knows he won’t, not yet. He can’t. He won’t. 

“Why? Worried about something?” He is, but he’s always worried about something. Money, self-control, Zack, the list fluctuates from day to day. Those are the three that seem to drag his mind down like stones. 

“Yeah, you.” He grumbled. He  forcefully  pulled his backpack over his shoulders. Zack rolls his eyes and flops down on his stomach to look at him. He doesn’t say anything, though. If he even heard at all.  Jason pulled the door to the trailer open, wishing in vain he had shoes other than sneakers to carry him through the sleet to his pickup . 

“Do you have to go in?” 

“Well, Zack some of us have jobs that don’t involve selling drugs to kids.” 

“Rude.” 

“Truth.” He bites back,  just  as fast. Zack scoffs and put the lighter onto the table. He glanced over at Jason and looked him up and down. He smiles  slightly , looks almost proud. 

“Be careful out there.” Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“He’s not coming back.” Zack says as Jason holds the door open with one hand. Since when had Billy become he who must not  be mentioned ? Ignoring the comment, he paused. 

“I know.” 

“Stay.” 

“I’ll see you around.” He let the door slam after him. 

… 

Jason works at the town’s only Great Value. Which is hard on the best of days. Not  strictly  the work, that fluctuated, but the people. And his own crushing guilt. It was either or. By the time he arrives, Tommy has beaten him there.  He’s smoking by the back entrance, with the sort of ‘if you come near me I will kill you' expression that Jason can only dream of . Tommy works here too, but he works two jobs. He’s saving up. He waves good morning when he sees him, and offers him a drag from the cigarette.

“No, thanks.” He says, leaning on the railing. Tommy shrugs as stuck it back in his mouth. “How was your weekend?” He asked,  casually . He doesn’t have a lot to say to anyone anymore. Only a few conversation pieces to roll through. 

“It was fine. Picked up some mail, did some shopping. The usual. You?” 

“Nothing I’ve never mentioned before.” He shrugged. Tommy does not particularly believe him, but he says nothing. He’s known Tommy since high school.  They had the same Geography camp in their senior year (If they saved the world together, then Jason doesn’t recall) and had been friends since about then  . He liked Tommy.  He didn’t give a damn about what other people thought of him, he was  unashamedly  himself and above all that, he doesn’t do any illicit substances . What a high bar he sets for his friends. 

“Mm.” He replied, before putting out the stump of his smoke out on the railing. The perspiration and rain gathered there hiss as it goes out. “ Shall  we make our entrance into Hell?” Another thing: Tommy still has his humor. Better late than never, he thought, taking off his jacket as they went inside. 

This particular Tuesday was a slow day. There was almost no one on staff, and Jason  was lumbered  with working at the register. He hated Great Value, the store was ugly, the uniforms were ugly, the policies were ugly.  Frankly  , the whole company was ugly. But nowhere else was willing to hire him, it was only by the word of Trini and Tommy that he was even hired in the first place. He sighed  softly  as he rearranged the little candy display by his register in order of size. He might have once been able to do the heavy lifting kind of jobs, but not anymore. Register duty it was. 

He looked over, Tommy was arranging a stack of tins into a pyramid shape in some kind of promotion. Fifteen percent off,  apparently  . Trini was sticking half price labels to  nearly  expired yogurt tubs in the freezer. She was working two jobs as well, to help pay for the wedding. 

Above him, the light flickers . It too is on its last legs, but, if he knows Great Value, and he does, then it won’t  be fixed  until it finally breaks. Even then, it’ll take weeks to get an electrician here.  At least one person will comment on it, and Jason will have to explain that he has no control over the lights, and would you like a receipt, sir  ? It’s not the life he would have chosen for himself. He’d have liked to be a football player if he could choose. He’d like to make his father proud.  But now he knows about the reality of being a footballer, concussions, and spinal injuries, even that  is tarnished . 

He is on autopilot as he swipes things along the scanner and fitted them into bags, plastic since they don’t do paper anymore  . It passes through his mind  quickly  , not sticking around.  Two home brand frozen pizzas, a frozen bag of mixed peas and corn, a gallon of milk, a power board, two extension cords, six different light bulbs, handsoap, acetone free nail polish remover and a packet of gum .

“Savings or credit?” He asked, finally looking up. He’s surprised, when he looks up, though he supposed that the long, weird list of things might have given it away. 

“Do you have pay pass?” He gives Billy a dumb look. He’s still holding the pin pad, feeling stupid when Billy smiles  awkwardly  at him. 

“Uh, no.” He says, finally, ripping his eyes away from him. “Not yet.” 

“Savings, then.” Billy comments. He wonders if Billy  just  doesn’t want anything to do with him. It’s not surprising, given the way that they ended. He doesn’t even want anything to do with himself so why would expect Billy too? He hands the chip machine over, and looked over, trying to summon Trini with his eyes. It doesn’t work. 

Billy passes the device back to him, and he set it down, putting a hand out for the receipt. Still shell shocked and  probably  looking like a dumbass, he held the slip of paper out. Billy took it, and then they both stood, and  just  starred. Neither of them seem to know what to do.  Jason doesn’t even know if Billy recognizes him, he looks better than he has in the past, but still, he was different to how he looked in high school . They all were. 

“I heard you overdosed.” Billy says, finally. He has a slight crease of concern in his forehead that Jason hates himself for causing. 

“I did.”  They both remain looking and Jason wants to memorize every detail of his face, braid it into the very fabric of his soul . That...Was a tad dramatic. But: he loves Billy Cranston, has since high school. 

“You seem to be doing okay.” 

“I got clean.” He says,  eventually . 

“Good. You shouldn’t throw your life away.” 

Jason fights the urge to reply that his life is already wasted, he peaked at seventeen, and he has no future, but he doesn’t. 

“ Apparently .” After a moment, Jason picks up the bag and offers it to him.

“Enjoy your pizza.” Billy has one of those cart things with him, an esky looking thing. His heart is beating so hard that he can  barely  breathe. Behind him, he heard shouting. Trini is running up to say hi, Tommy trailing after. He knew Billy, but he’d never recovered from the awkwardness. It wasn’t his fault, Rita was the one who fucked him up, but he knew as many times as it said it, Tommy would never quite believe it. 

Trini and Billy fall  easily  into conversation, and Jason leaves to serve another customer  .  He’s well aware that he gave up his right to the Power Rangers, and that he deserves or Billy to be so distant, he knows he does, but it can’t dull the sting . Nothing can dull the sting. 

He serves some woman with a hat on indoors. He can hear the others talking. His blood feels cold. His hands shake. The lady takes her bag. He takes his lunch break. 

… 

He sat on the stairs leading to the employee entrance, hands still shaking as bad as ever. It’s still raining. He has his phone on his thigh, staring at the unanswered texts from his father in an attempt to cool himself off. He loves his dad. He  really  does. More than that, he’s twenty-seven and he still lives with his dad. He wishes his mother was still around, but it wasn’t to be. Pearl still lives at home, but she’s only fifteen. That’s expected.  Maybe  she’ll turn out normal. Have a normal life, find a normal person to fall in love with, move into a normal house and have normal kids. 

 

_Dad_

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 9:30pm] What time are you coming home?_

_[RECEIVED AT: 10:00pm] Please text me your plans_

_[RECEIVED AT: 10:47pm] Text me_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:00pm] Do you need me to come get you? Are you safe?_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:15pm] Just  let me know that you’re okay._

_[RECEIVED AT:11:15pm] Please tell me you aren’t with Zack_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:16pm] Damn it Jason._

_{RECEIVED AT: 11:18pm] You know what I said about him. Don’t do this._

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:19pm] If you aren’t home in the next 30 min then you won’t be welcome here._

_[RECEIVED AT 11:50pm] Don’t come home_

_[RECEIVED AT: 12:00am] I didn’t mean that you know I didn’t mean that._

_[RECEIVED AT: 12:01 am] Please come home._

_[RECEIVED AT: 12:01 am] Text me tomorrow._

_[RECIVED AT: 12:02am] I love you._

_[RECEIVED AT: 7:00am] Don’t forget your shift._

 

_Pearl ❤_

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 3:30pm] Can I get a lift home?_

 

_[SENT AT: 3:34pm] Ok_

_[SENT AT: 3:34pm] Will you be by the front gate?_

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 3:36pm] Yes_

_[RECEIVED AT: 10:50pm] Dads worried text him_

_[RECEIVED AT: 10:55pm] Don’t do this Jason_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:00pm] he’s gonna call the police_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:02pm] I talked him out of it text him you dumbass_

_[RECEIVED AT: 11:54pm] come home._

 

One of the first things he brought after getting clean was a new phone.  He  probably  didn’t need one, given that there are only about five people who text him, but a phone was a symbol of status, and it was one he craved . He brought his phone second hand since he couldn’t afford a new one. He was the one who paid for the bill. He was the one who paid for the red case. It was something that was his. 

Back when he’d had good reason to ignore his messages. When he’d had a phone. He lost it,  eventually  . If he sold it or not he doesn’t remember. His varying levels of sobriety was one. If he was fighting with his dad, with his friends, with Billy and he wanted to leave it for now. If he  was tired  , or some place unsavory. Now he doesn’t. Smoking is his only vice these days. He’d needed something to occupy his fingers. He knows he should text back. He  really  does. He feels like a fool. A cold, unfeeling fool. 

 

_Dad_

 

_[SENT: 12:07pm] I didnt do anything._

_[SENT: 12:07pm] I’ll be home at 1_

 

 

He produced a cigarette from his pocket. His lighter  is red  plastic. Before he lights it, a person emerged from the door. Billy, Jason thinks, pausing. He tucked the cigarette away into his breast pocket as he sat. 

“You left.” 

“You and Trini were talking.” 

“We were talking before that.” They weren’t, not  really . They had been staring like dumbasses. Or Jason was a dumbass. Whichever. 

“Last I heard you were living in another state.” 

“I was. I came back.” 

“Why?” Jason doesn’t know why anyone would come back to Angel Grove. He  certainly  wouldn’t, not if he could help it. 

“I missed my mother.”  He doesn’t like they  basically  monosyllabic sentences because it is  profoundly  not Billy . Not the Billy he remembered. It couldn’t be. 

“You got work?” 

“I do.” He doesn’t elaborate. Jason doesn’t expect him to. 

“Trini wants to have a Rangers brunch, which  I think  is a bit ridiculous because brunch is at a strange, undefined time in the morning when  really  it would be easier to have a lunch or a breakfast meet up because those are times someone can put into their phone and set an alarm for, while brunch is  just  kind of a ridiculous concept that  probably  comes from people who overslept and wanted to justify it by calling their meal a ‘brunch’ when  really  it’s  just  a late breakfast because no one  really  eats lunch food at brunch anyway-’ He stops  . “Would you like to come?” It’s a charming tangent, and for  just  those few moments, with Billy talking and him listening, he doesn’t feel sad.  He doesn’t feel anything other than warm, as though he could listen to Billy talks about something that inconsequential for the rest of his life . 

“Am I invited?” He asks, 

“I’m inviting you.” Jason studied his face, trying to get a feel for the situation. 

“Alright.” Billy let out a breath. 

“Give me your number and I’ll text you.” He said, after a second. He sounds so cheerful. Like they were old friends reunited by chance. Not because Jason was an aggressive, dangerous drug addict who threatened him. Jason read off his number and then sat back. Billy stood, smiled at him,  awkwardly , and hurried off, taking his bags with him.

 

…

 

_Dad_

 

_[RECEIVED: 3:22pm] You need to be home tonight to look after pearl. I’m going to be on a boat over night._

 

_[SENT: 3:30 pm] Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow._

 

 

He went home that night. He lived with his dad, still.  He didn’t have much choice in the matter, the money wasn’t enough to support living in his own place, and even so, his father was unlikely to want him to move out  .  Perhaps  in some other time, some other life, he may have found his father’s hand over his life stifling. Not anymore. 

He knows his father  is disappointed  in him. It  practically  leeches out of his pores when he sees him. He’d received a text as he was heading to collect Pearl from school (it was his job on a Tuesday). The two of them arrived home at the usual time, and Pearl scampered off to text her friends or do homework. Something like that. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t much mind. He sat down on the couch and ran his eyes over the room. It hasn’t changed much. He wants a cigarette, but he won’t smoke in the house. He supposes he could  watch  tv, but he can’t think of anything he wants to  watch . 

There is an iPad sitting on the table, the family iPad, in fact. He figured that he could order a pizza for dinner, or  maybe  two and they could have cold pizza for lunch tomorrow. Or he would. Pearl buys her lunch most days, from his understanding it is  deeply  uncool to bring a lunch. Even, according to her, if you had a cool lunch box. He picked it up and put in the password. The screen opened, and he opened the Dominos app. He realized, only then, that he wasn’t sure what pizza Pearl would actually want. He turned the machine off again, stood, and wandered to her bedroom. 

She’s on the phone inside. Or skyping. Face timing? He’s out of touch with technology. 

“No, I won’t be able to get down to the mine tonight.” A pause. “Yes, he’s gonna be here all night. He’d freak if I was gone.” He knows he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he can’t help it upon hearing the mention of his old stomping ground. “No, the rest of you should go. Zordon said-“ And that is where he back away. He was seventeen when he became a Power Ranger. Pearl is  barely  seventeen. She is a child and he has half a mind to storm to the gold mine and give the alien a piece of his mind. But he won’t because his foot aches like a mother fucker, and  really  the world needs Power Rangers. He knocked  lightly . 

“Come in!” Jason stuck his head in. 

“I’m ordering a pizza to  be delivered  at seven.” 

“Can we get a Supreme?” 

“With anchovies?” 

“No.” 

“Alright, then.” 

He closed the door, and he doesn’t listen when she resumes her conversation. He doesn’t order the pizza either. He wanders to his bedroom. 

His room is still decorated how it was when he was a teenager with minimal changes. He sat on his bed and looked out the window. His eyes fall to his row of trophies.  Sitting in the middle is a picture of himself and Billy, sitting out in the grass of some picnic somewhere that they were attending . Billy is grinning, he is smiling. Happier times. 

What right did he have, to fuck everything up like he did? It’s a hollow question with no satisfying answer he could provide. He looked down at his hands, rolling his eyes over their surface. There’s still scars from where he picked the skin away. Like when they would burn a brand into people who broke the law in the olden times. Fitting, he thought, looking away and unable to look at the trophies anymore, either. He figured he should order that pizza. 

… 

The brunch  is held  only a few days later. He arrived a few minutes earlier then he had to be because he didn’t want them to think he that he hadn’t changed.  He ordered a coffee from the lady manning the counter at Krispy Kreme (  Kimberly  had thought it would be funny)  . with a container of doughnut holes. He’s not  really  sure exactly what they’re going to be doing foodwise. 

Billy is already here, as Jason might have expected. He’s claimed a table with enough seats for the six of them.  Awkwardly , he made his way to the table. 

“Hey.” He says as if it’s an appropriate way to greet the one person he still dreams about. 

“Hi. Are you going to sit?” 

“Uh. Yeah. Do you want a doughnut hole?” He asks, popping the top off. 

“Sure.” Billy says, after a moment, and takes one from the cup. “ I wonder  who decided to sell doughnut holes, sometimes.  I mean, it’s a great idea, and all, doughnut holes are delicious, but like….What convinced someone to sell the off cut doughnut bits ?” 

“I don’t know. Money saving?” He asked, taking a sip of his drink, though it was still a little bit too hot. He doesn’t mind. 

“Hm, I suppose.” Billy commented, taking a sip from his own drink. Jason doesn’t need to see inside the cardboard cup to know it’s a hot chocolate over anything else. “But still. Isn’t it odd to sell the parts of a dought you would usually throw away?” 

“I guess.” Jason remarked and popped one into his mouth anyway. “But they’re cheaper than a normal doughnut.” Talking about food with Billy is not he was expecting this to go but that was alright. Not good, but alright. It’s not dealing with his problems, but he can’t imagine it better. He’s dancing around the issue, they both are. But he can’t push forward. Because when he tries, Billy’s horrified face passes under his eyelids and that’s too much. 

“How have you been?” He asks, trying to invoke a ramble about something, anything. He’s not picky. “Got work?” He's already asked this, but it slips out before he can stop it. He's so curious. 

“Yeah, I do. Pyrotechnics.” This doesn’t surprise him. Billy did like explosions. “It’s  really  fascinating stuff. They’re filming that Power Rangers movie up on the coast and I got a job doing the explosions.  It’s so interesting, actually, because artificial explosions aren’t exactly like real explosions that Rita caused- they’re more controlled and it’s harder to make it look like the chaos-“ Before he can continue speaking, Tommy joined them, sipping water from a plastic bottle  .  Just  after him, follow Trini and  Kimberly , holding hands. They’re getting married in the spring time, Jason thinks. He has the invite on the fridge held up by a magnet. Zack is absent, but that was fine. Jason doesn’t expect him to come. 

Kim greeted him with a side hug and a smile. He hasn’t seen her in a while, but not too long. 

“Hi!” She said, and then grins at Billy. “Haven’t seen you in ages!” She gushes, “Did you get your wedding invite?” 

“I did.” Billy smiles, “I’ll be there.” He said, “Thought I’d RSVP in person.”  Jason looks away from the conversation as it meanders its way through one meaningless topic to the next . 

He doesn’t mean to be rude, but he doesn’t have anything  really  to add.  He’s not getting married, his work isn’t exciting, he has no illuminious law career, his football dreams are long dead, the only person who understands him is not here and every time he looks at Billy he feels all twisted up inside . 

No one reaches out to include him. Not until Zack arrives, thirty minutes late. He skips coffee, and moves to sit next to Jason. He’s sober, that much Jason is sure of. Jason likes Zack, likes him a lot. He wishes that he would get clean. But he knows better than to try and convince him. Trini seems surprised to see him, but not so much so that she lets on. Everyone seems excited to see him, and he gets a hug from Kim as well. 

They’re all talking now, about something that Jason didn’t bother to pick up on. Under the table, Zack grabs his hand and holds on tight. Jason isn’t sure if it’s for himself, or for Zack, but he holds back,  just  as  tightly . 

Jason wonders, at exactly what point he became so separate from the people he cared about. Because Lord help him he did care. They haven’t been Power Rangers for very  nearly  ten years but he would still give up his life for any of them if he had to.  Perhaps  it was the distance that they put between them when he was still using. When they knew he was bad news; unreliable.  Maybe  It was him setting himself apart, too  cowardly  to approach them. To lonely to cut himself off completely. He used to be a leader. 

“What about you, Jason?”  Kimberly . 

“What about me?” 

“What’s your family up to?” 

“Same as usual. Pearl’s still in school, Dad still works on a boat.” He shrugs. He’s not close with any of his extended family, though he does have some. None of them he could turn to outside of an emergency. 

“How is her school work going?” Trini this time, but he presumes it’s out of politeness. 

“Pretty well, she got the top of the class in her English class recently.” He commented. “She’s pissed off about having to do another research journal for her history class though.” 

“I know the feeling.” Kim says, with a laugh. “I hated them as well.” 

“I didn’t mind them.” Tommy says, “I hated never knowing what to put on a cover page.” 

“That was the worst.” He said, “Didn’t help that it was different for every class.” 

“I forgot how much I hated high school.” Zack says, with a scoff. 

“I’m sure it wasn’t all bad. After all; You knew us, right?” Trini teased, taking a deep sip from her cup. 

“Okay. I forgot how much I hated most of high school.” He amended, grinning at her. 

“I’m with Zack. High school was  mostly  terrible.” Billy says, “Until senior year.” He  distinctly  doesn’t comment because compared to his life now, high school was the highlight of his life.  He’s not sure If it’s the time he spent as the metaphorical king of the world wonder boy, or if it’s the time he spends amongst good friends training that he considers the true highlight . 

The brunch is long, but it’s fun.  Shockingly  fun. He has to leave early to head to work, but it’s fine. He feels alright, good even. 

 …

 

_Dad_

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 7:00am] Have you seen Pearl? She wasn’t in her bedroom._

 

_[SENT AT: 7:04am] No. Should I call her?_

 

 

_[RECEIVED AT: 7:04am] I already tried she didn’t pick up._

_[RECEIVED AT: 7:04am] I’m going to go looking for her. Meet me at the school after work._

_[RECEIVED_ AT: _9:047am] Call me._

Jason doesn’t call him. He didn’t have a chance.  The walls at Great Value are shaking, the broken light has fallen onto the counter near him, and the yogurts have all but fallen out of the fridge  . This was no mere earthquake. He didn’t need to be an ex super hero to know this.  Rather than do the rational thing and make his way to the basement level for safety, (and he can hear Trini yelling for him) he walks through the door to the building .He exited into the street. The air smells like petrol and the ground shaking knocks him to the ground. On his knees, put his father's number into the phone. His father answers on the first ring. 

“Do you know what’s happening? Where is your sister?” 

“No idea.” He replies, “I’m at work.” 

“I’m coming to get you.” Then he hangs up, leaving Jason alone in the middle of the street. He stumbles back to his feet, and rounds the corner.  Ignoring all the parts of his brain insisting he should go back to Great Value, and into the basement or to wait for his father to come collect him, he keeps walking . But he’s never been one for rational thought, his life was proof of that. He has to see Pearl. Has to confirm his suspicions. Has to prove it to himself, and to everyone else that she was a Ranger. He doesn't know how to do that without revealing her, but he has to. He has to. He can't control his legs as they walk leading him away. 

He doesn’t have to look far to see the fight. The first thing he sees are the Zords, as big and as shiny as they ever were. He can’t identify what exactly they are fighting because it was like nothing he ever fought.  He still has the book Billy made him containing information about everything they fought . Come to think of it, he still has the jacket Billy once put on him when – that wasn’t important. What was important was that the red Zord has no one driving it. It’s empty. 

He looks up to the roof tops of the buildings. The red ranger is standing there, tall and brave. The costumes have changed since his day, but not  drastically  . Red has less of the ‘boob cups’ that Kim had hated so much. Which was a good thing, as far as he  was concerned  . She sprints to the edge of the building, sword drawn. Before she can deliver a blow, she  is smashed  down through the roof into the building under her.  Despite the fact, he knows he shouldn’t, and he shouldn’t, he still forces his way into what  was left  standing of the structure . 

Pearl was lying among the ruble, bleeding. The coin is lying nearby. He doesn’t understand. She should be fine. She should be fine. That was how being a Power Ranger worked, right? The closer he gets the more he realizes this is untrue. He grabs the coin and stuffs it into his pocket as he approaches her bloodied body. She should be up by now, yelling at him to get away. But she doesn’t. When he finally reaches her, and clears away the debris, he pulls her into his lap. Desperate, he tries to staunch the blood coming from one of the larger wounds with his hand. He can't, not all the way. He's not a doctor. Shouldn't her coin be healing her? Why is this happening? 

He stays with her for the duration of the battle. He curses even the very thought of Zordon and his Power Rangers. He curses the sense of duty instilled in them by their father. He curses the monster outside ravaging the town for what seemed like the millionth time. It's not quiet, either. Outside, there is screaming and the roof is shaking overhead. Dust coats him, head to toe. Pearl is still bleeding in his arms. 

After a while, he’s not sure how long, the tail of a Zord (of which one he doesn’t get a good enough look to be able to tell.) crashes into the buildig they were in. It caves in the wall, revealing the outside world to him. It's like front row seats. Yellow and Blue have teamed up, their Zords moving at full speed into the enormous beast. He still isn't exactly sure what it is. It's not Goldar, that is for sure. But it's something. Something big. Something robotic. It frightens him, it really does. This thing is powerful enough to affect the coins effect on Pearl. He's scared of losing his sister. She's so young, and she has a life ahead of her. He thinks about when she was little, and they would make their parents breakfast in bed, and Pearl would insist that he should cut the crusts off the toast. He thinks about watching her play basketball on weekends and taking her for ice cream afterwards. 

It’s not safe here, but he’s not a ranger, he can’t carry her anywhere on his bad foot. He curses his foot, too, then. Or, more  correctly  , his leg. Since he doesn't have the foot anymore. He does. It's a prosthetic. Which  is kind of  like having a shoe and a foot at the same time.  He's trying to distract himself from the  frankly  horrifying situation he's in, this he does know . 

The new blue ranger kicks away debris revealing him. He looks at them. They look back at him. He doesn’t know what to say to them. They’re looking at Pearl, in his lap. The other Power Rangers follow after them. Looking at them, he doesn’t see the new Power Rangers. He doesn’t even see his Power Rangers. He sees children. Scared children without their red. It occurs to him, a moment later that, they were children as well. Teens,  maybe  , but children where it counted. Not even old enough to drink alcohol  legally  yet. 

They’re looking at him. He’s looking at them. 

“Is the town safe?” Pink, the seeming defacto leader nods. 

“Your secret is safe with me. I’ll come up with something to explain.” He says, “Help me carry her to Great Value so I can get her to a hospital.” Blue lifts her up and they limp out of the building towards Great Value. 

Sam is waiting by his truck,  suitably  disheveled. Upon seeing his injured daughter, he panicked  slightly . Seeing Jason limping along on his bad foot with the Power Rangers he panicked more. 

“What happened?” He demanded, voice cracking  slightly  as they managed to get her up into the truck. 

“ I think  she was coming to Great Value.” He says, “I saw her and I went after.” Trini is quick to hide her suspicious face. Tommy has a graze along his face but is otherwise unharmed. The unofficial hospital is beginning to set up in the center of the town. The battle has not been over long, but the town of Angel Grove is well used to fighting. 

Sam drives and when they arrive, Pearl  is whisked  away from them to  be tended  to. Jason is not sure how this whole thing works. He’s sure that they don’t, or at least he doesn’t, have insurance. They’re yelling that she needs to go to a real hospital and she’s taken from them. They’re left there, watching after her as she’s whisked away and they’re given the name of where they had to go. 

It’s over an hour away, and the road will  be clogged  with people in the same position.  Eventually , Sam returns to the truck. Jason follows after. 


	2. Will Blind

…

Billy C

[RECEIVED AT: 4:40pm] Are you alright? I heard what happened to Pearl from Trini. 

[SENT AT: 5:01pm] I’m fine.

 

Trini 

[RECEIVED AT: 12:33pm] what the fuck happened????????

[RECEIVED AT: 12:33pm] Jason you better text me back you fuck 

[SENT AT: 5:02pm] I’m fine. 

Kim H

[RECEIVED AT: 12:15pm] Did you see what happened in town?? 

[RECEIVED AT: 12:15pm] You alright?

[SENT AT: 5:03pm] I’m fine. 

Tommy O

[RECEIVED AT: 12:37pm] What happened with Pearl?? R u okay??

[SENT AT: 5:04]pm I’m fine. 

Z

[RECEIVED AT: 1:00pm] Call me. 

Jason Scott is the opposite of fine. The house has survived the attack by whatever the fuck. Same is on the phone with the hospital, getting updates. There was no way that they were going to get out there tonight. The bridge was out, and the only way out of town was for emergency vehicles only. 

Jason has been sitting on the couch for the last few hours staring into space, listening in. He only perked when his phone buzzed, but he can’t bring himself to respond. He’s taken his prosthetic off for the time being, and has been sitting with his legs crossed. He can’t feel them anymore, which he thinks is good. 

He doesn’t know what to do now.  Eventually , his father sat next to him on the couch, looking tired and very old  all of a sudden. Which horrifies Jason to think because, he doesn’t know what he would do without him. He looked to him, and then looked away. 

“Any updates?” 

“She’s stable.” 

“That’s good.” His father nods, and turned to look to him. 

“How are you?” Jason  was patched up in the middle of town by a doctor who's name he can’t remember. 

“I’m fine.” 

“We said we weren’t going to lie.” His father prods like he’s six rather than almost twenty seven. But that was the deal, wasn’t it? When he was getting clean that was the deal. 

“I’m pretty fucking far from fine, but given the circumstances, I’m dealing with it. I’m fine.” His father looks  just a tiny bit surprised. “ What about you? You got a kid in hospital and a kid with a drug problem. Are you okay?” His father looked at him for several moments, and then he shakes his head. 

“I’m terrified.” He says, finally. He doesn’t seem mad like Jason thought he would be. It was easier when he was mad. Easier to assign blame. 

“I lost your mother. Then I almost lost you. What about her?” He asks, “If something happens to you two then I lose everything.” A pause. “And  I might be losing her right now and I can’t get there.” Jason uncrossed his legs, and pulled his bad foot up onto his knee. His father eyes what  is left of it. The smooth front of his ankle, where his toes should be, where his foot should be. All that  is left of it is the bottom of his heel. 

“I don’t know what to do now.” He admits. “I don’t know what kind of money we’re going to have to pay. I don’t know how to get to her. I don’t…I don’t know anything.” Jason knows the feeling. He doesn’t know what to say next so he doesn’t say anything at all. 

…

Z

[SENT AT: 12:02am] U up? 

[RECEIVED AT: 12:03am] Of course

[SENT AT:12:03am] can I come over?

[RECEIVED AT: 12:03am] sure :-)

Zack is the only person in the world who Jason feels he belongs with. Which is saying a lot, given that he doesn’t feel like he  really belongs anywhere most of the time.  Zack lives in the same trailer he lived in with his mother (though the door  is closed now and never opened), in the trailer park on the edge of town . Jason drives there. 

He arrived close to twelve thirty, having chosen to drive over bike. The front light was on, indicating that Jason should let himself in with the spare key he had. He does so, making note of the otherwise empty passageway. The window in what passed as a living area  was fixed with a piece of plywood. Jason has been asking to pay for it forever and Zack always says no. He doesn’t know why, given that it was Jason’s fist that went through it in the first place. 

Zack is on his couch drinking from a beer bottle. Jason fell onto the sofa next to him and put his feet up on the couch, tucking his knees under his chin. Zack put an arm around him and  gently pulled him close. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t have to. Jason likes Zack. He  really does.  Maybe it was their shared history.  Maybe it was attraction (mutual and otherwise).  While Jason was in the throes of It (with a capital, like no one else in the world has ever had a drug problem), it was Zack who stayed with him on paranoid nights, picked glass out of his hand and tried to protect him from the grim future he faced . 

Jason refuses to leave him behind. He will be here when he has to be here, and he knows his threats are empty. Zack could do whatever and Jason wouldn’t leave. Drugs, drink, smoke, he didn’t care. Not as much as he liked to pretend he did. Was that selfish of him? To put his desire for human connection above his desire for Zack to get clean?  Maybe . But Zack isn’t a Power Ranger. He doesn’t have to listen to Jason anymore. He wouldn’t be the first. No one listens to Jason anymore.

“What happened today? Got a weird text from Tommy, all worried and shit. Wanted to know if I was with you.” 

“I was at home with my dad.” 

“Does he know you’re here?” Jason shakes his head no. “What happened?” 

“Pearl is the new Red Ranger.” 

“What?”

“Yeah. Power coin suit and everything.” 

“She’s fifteen.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Was she…” 

“She was in the fight today in town. Her coin stopped working, and she got shoved through a building.” 

“Jesus Christ.” 

“They took her out of town, but we can’t go after.”

“They didn’t let your dad go with them?” Jason shook his head no. “They were trying to save who they could. We got a message that she’s stable though.” 

“That’s good.” Zack says, “I saw the damage on the news. It’s even worse than when we fought Rita.” 

“Yeah.” He mumbled. 

“Thought you’d be home with your dad?”

“He’s busy.” This is a blatant lie, and they know it. Jason can’t figure out why he needed to seek out Zack tonight. But he likes Zack. He feels comfortable, Zack feels comfortable. 

“Of course.” Zack says, “Would you like to go to bed. I’m tired.” Jason agrees, but he knows that Zack isn’t tired. He’s never tired. 

But they go to bed. They lie side by side in Zack’s bed. Neither can sleep. Zack has a single bed,  barely wide enough for one. It’s an effort to get them both in there. Jason can only see Pearl any time he closes his eyes. He can hear Zack breathing – it's not the same as when he sleeps. 

His foot aches with a phantom pain. He pulls his legs up, and sighs  softly . 

“Would you like me to rub your foot?” Zack asks,  quietly . Zack is a particularly good comforter, when things go wrong. 

“Yeah.” He mumbled. So Zack sat up, and folded his legs. Jason followed, and  carefully set his leg in Zack’s lap. There are only two people who Jason would let touch his leg. One was Zack, the other was his father, who helped him get the prosthetic on and off at first. 

Zack ran his hand down the front of his leg, they’re cold but Jason doesn’t mind so much. It feels nice. He looked at Zack, in the darkness. He’s the kind of tall dark and handsome man that would have had the girls falling over themselves for him. 

“You and Billy seemed to be getting on.”

“He’s a good friend.”

“You  were convinced you were going to marry him once.” Jason smiles at the comforter. That was true. He had wanted to marry Billy. Had wanted that a long time now. But he knows that he cannot do that now, he doesn’t have that kind of money, or that kind of right to Billy and his time. 

“Do you remember when you OD’d?” Zack is doing his best to start a conversation, Jason knows this. But he doesn’t know what to say. How to keep talking when his mind is chasing itself around in circles. 

“No. I was busy OD’ing.” Long pause. 

“Oh.”

“Why?” 

“I had a dream about it. When you were OD’ing, and I was driving you. And we crashed.” Long pause, “ I think about it a lot, actually.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I hurt you. I gave you that crap, and I drove and crashed and cost you a foot.” Jason looked at him for a long time. 

“I’d rather have a fake foot than be dead.” Zack nods, his fingers are shaking. 

“I wish you would get clean.” He murmured. 

“Why?” 

“Because you’re less likely to die. More likely to live.” 

“Is that what you think you do? Live?”

“What do you think I do with my life?”

“You don’t have a life, Jason. You have an existence.” 

“What?” 

“You wake up in the morning, go to work, pick up your sister, go to sleep. Day in. Day out. You’re not living. Not like you used to.” 

“I can’t live like I used to.” 

“I know.” 

They sit in quiet again, but Jason suspects that their heart to heart isn’t over. The air in the room is cold but the bedsheets smell unwashed for some time. Zack looks alive but dead in the half light. The moon is shining between the curtains, washing his face in pale moonlight. 

“I spoke to Trini today.” 

“Okay.” 

“She told me about Pearl.”

“Traitor.” 

“She  was worried about you. Everyone  was worried about you.” 

“Don’t waste your time.” 

“How are you going to pay the medical bills?” 

“We haven’t figured it out yet.” 

“I spoke to some people I know. I can get you money. A job. Transporting.” 

“No. We’ll do it  legally , Zack.” Long pause. “But thank you.” The room falls silent. Zack’s hands stop. He looks Jason dead in the eye. 

“I love you, Red.” 

“No. No! Take that back.” He pleads, “Take it back right now.” 

“No.” 

Jason yanks his leg away and swings over the side of the bed. He’s never put his prosthetic on so fast in his life. The plastic-y silicone-y feeling rubs on the back of his heel where he gets blisters. He stumbles into the hall, jams his shoe on his good foot and flees as fast as he can to his truck. Zack calls after him, desperate to reach him before he stumbles to the car and turns the key. 

He drives away as fast as he can without fear of death. 

… 

Kim H

[RECEIVED AT: 1:49am] Where the fuck are you? 

 

When his phone vibrates, Jason only gives it a passing glance. Zack must have called her, damn it. He opts not to reply, in the hopes that he might get away from her. After leaving Zack’s place, he found his way to a diner close to town. He’s not the only person there by far.  Plenty of tired, scared people are milling around drinking coffee or otherwise engaged in something . Jason fits right in.  He’s wearing mismatched shoes, one is the one he took from Zack’s place and the other was a boot from his truck he kept in case of emergencies . He hasn’t worn it since he last went fishing with his dad. 

The coffee in his cup is hot, and it tastes like dirt. Which is good enough in his opinion. The woman serving looks how he feels. He is not sure what to think about, because every thought he has comes back to Zack and if not Zack, then to Billy. 

Love is not usually his first priority. Which is  perhaps shameful. But before, it was getting a hit, and then it was rehabilitation, then it was finding work, then it was staying clean. Now it’s Pearl. Celibate makes him sound like a priest.  His mind drifts again to Billy Cranston, who still looks like a dream come true, and smiles like the summertime . 

He’s moved on. Jason knows damn well that he should as well but he’s not able to. He’s stuck here, treading water over and over again. Zack, the bastard, was right. He did lead an existence. Does he love Billy?  Does he  just love the idea of having someone that he could rely on to wait for him when the world seemed to be spinning past him so fast he can’t even get his foot into a foothold ? Does he love Zack? Does he feel like he needs to wait for him out of dedication? He takes another sip of his coffee and put his arms up on the table, followed by his head. 

He’s so tired. 

He’s here minding his own business when someone fills the booth across from him. He takes a moment before looking up.  Kimberly is looking at him with big eyes. He’d always thought she was beautiful. You’d have to be a dumbass to think anything else.  He likes Kim a lot, she’s friendly and she understands the golden child fallen from grace thing better than he ever did . He sighed. 

“Did Zack call you?”

“You bet your ass he did.” Jason sighed and then knocked back a large mouthful of his drink. “What is wrong with you?”

“Pardon?”

“Zack tells you he loves you and all you can respond with is ‘take it back’?” He sighed. 

“Not my finest moment.”

“Jason I don’t think you’ve had a fine moment in ten years.” 

‘Fuck you.”

“You had a boyfriend who adored you, and you threatened. You had a father who loved you and you stole money. You had friends who cared but you pushed them away. Now you got a therapist you don’t talk to, a father you ignore and a sister who doesn’t trust you.” He studied her face. “You could have been someone, Jason.” 

It’s been a rough day for Jason, in his defense. 

“And your life has been perfect, hasn’t it?”  Clearly , she hadn’t expected him to bite back. “I know you,  Kimberly .  I know that you  certainly didn’t  drunkenly make out with Ty Flemming on prom night, and you got on your job on your own merit not because your father knows the man who runs the firm, and you would never do drugs, would you Kim ? Because your life is perfect picket fence with a pretty wife and children on the horizon.”

“You don’t know my life-“

“And you don’t know mine!” He yelled, stumbling to his feet quick to leave. “But you’re right about one thing, Kim. I did crash and burn at seventeen.” He’s yelling at her in the middle of a diner. It’s not his style. 

He’s in his car in less than a minute. He’s distraught and disgusted, as he drives along the road. The sun will rise in the next couple of hours. God, he’s a dumbass. Kim is  just trying to help. Everyone is  just trying to help. His hands are shaking so  badly that the muscles hurt. Everything hurts, everything aches. Even his veins are burning. It’s an ache that he knows too well and hurts too bad. He’s got nothing left to lose. Nothing but hurt. 

…

Billy

[RECEIEVED AT: 4:45am] Where are you?

 

Finding a dealer was easy. Jason knows these streets and this town like the back of his hands. It’s not what he’d usually take, because his usual dealer was Zack and he can’t go and get anything from him now.  Maybe not ever. 

But it’s a suspicious looking dime bag filled with white powder and that’s all he wanted from it. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go, though. He left his truck at a carpark and made his way into a pancake place located near the outskirts of town. He hasn’t been here since he was using, but he knew that the bathrooms here didn’t have blue lights and no smoke detectors. So hm. 

He made his way to the public bathroom, and sat on the toilet lid, producing the bag from his pocket. His thought of how good it would feel, after all this time.  Maybe as good as the first time, wouldn’t that be nice? His first time was right after his mother died. He went to Zack, looking for answers, looking for help with the only other person he knew who had a dead mother.  Zack had not been very helpful in the actual grieving process, but he had offered Jason something so much better . Why grieve when you could blot it all out. Blot everything out.  Blot out your worried boyfriend, mourning father, sister who idolizes you and the disturbing fact that you are not a solider . You are, or  perhaps were, a child. 

The situation now mirrors the one he was in back then. Blot out Billy and all the worry Jason wishes that he didn’t feel. Blot out his father’s tired face. Blot out his fight with Kim and that Zack was in love with him, and feel nothing. Or feel something good, for once in his miserable life. He’s not picky on that one. He slid into the stall and closed the door behind him. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go after, but it doesn’t bother him so much. 

The employees were  probably playing their own music, since it’s old Twenty One Pilots stuff. He used to be a big fan but he fell off the bandwagon after they sold out. But he did still like to listen to their older stuff. This particular song is ‘House of Gold’ and he hasn’t bothered to listen to it for years. He doesn’t listen to music much at all. 

He can’t stop himself thinking of the good old days. 

He thinks about the pure, unadulterated joy that came from defeating the bad guy.  The rush from slapping Rita into space, going to prom with his friends, scoring the winning point in football, the first time he held his baby sister, the summer he went to Disneyland with his parents, the smell of wet clothes as they fought against the Putties . 

What the fuck are you doing, Jason? 

He wiped his face with the back of his hands and looked into the dime bag. After a moment, he tossed it into the toilet and then flushed it away. He put the lid down and sat, resting his face in his hands. What was he doing? He was almost three years sober and he wanted to throw it all away? He doesn’t know what he’s going to do with himself. 

But he leaves the Pancake House and he drives. He  just drives. 

…

Trini

[RECEIVED AT: 4:50am] What the fuck is the matter with you? 

[RECEIVED AT: 6:00am] Where the fuck are you? 

He pulls up to the mine as the sun began to peak along the mountain tops. It takes him over an hour to get there, and by the time he checks his phone, it’s 7:00am already. He reached the crevice that held the lake at the bottom and he sat, letting his legs hang off the edge. Down below, all he can hear is the soft sound of rushing water. The air smells like the smoke of Angel Grove and the chill of early winter. 

Where does he go from here? 

Well, he still has his job at Great Value, and they would call him, because there would be so many people trying to buy anything they could to keep their families going . He has Pearl to go see, and his father to apologize to. He needs to go back to Zack and talk to him, and say sorry to Kim, and  probably get punched in the face by Trini. He needs to find Tommy and say he’s sorry for ignoring him in the fight. He needs to tell Billy that he wants him to be happy. 

But he knows damn well he might do one of those things. He’s nothing if not unreliable. Isn’t that what people in this town think of him? Unreliable Jason Scott who does drugs and crashes cars. He can’t say that they’re wrong about him, though. His life  is bookended by car crashes.  The one that broke his knee, the one that kick-started the Rangers, the one that took his mother, the one that took his foot, so they weren’t wrong about him having had more than the usual amount of car crashes in his life .

But he’s been three years sober. He doesn’t even drink alcohol. His only vice is smoking and even that he doesn’t do so often. Not anymore. He used to, but not anymore. He’s trying so hard to get his life back into a something. But  maybe it  just isn’t to be.  Maybe this is all his life is going to be,  just treading water.  Waiting for the next disaster to blow apart whatever ladder he’s been using to drag himself up from the pit that he always seemed to fall in . Zack was right. He isn’t living a life. He’s living an existence. 

And Jesus Fucking Christ. 

What about Zack, anyway? 

What is he going to do about this, then? Does he love Zack? The easy answer is yes of course he does, he loves all the Rangers, even now. The much harder answer is …  Maybe ? He thinks that Zack is a lot like him. He thinks that Zack understands him, and who he is and what he’s done. But  comparatively , he is Jason’s opposite. Jason OD’d and he decided he  was done with drugs. Zack still, as far as he knows, uses. That was the crux of it, wasn’t it then? He can’t be with someone who uses. Putting his confused thoughts for Billy aside, he can’t be with Zack in any romantic way while he’s using. He has to look out for himself, too. He knows that if he goes with Zack, if he says he loves him, he will end up using again. That? That he will not allow. 

A small form dropped next to him on the mountain top. Trini. He knows her well by now. 

“I should push you off this cliff face.”

“Thanks.”

“You made my finceé cry in the middle of a diner, fuckwit.”

“Thanks.” He repeated, and felt worse than he had prior. 

“And you made Zack call her in the middle of the night, crying because he thought that you were going to go do drugs or some shit .”

“Yeah?” She nods, 

“The whole team is out looking for you.” 

“Are they?” Trini looked at him for a long time. 

“I don’t understand you.”

“What is there to understand?”

“You make your own problems, and then refuse to solve them.”

“True.” She put her head on his shoulder. 

“Go home, Red. See your dad. He loves you.” Neither of them moves for a long time. 

…

Dad

[RECEIVED AT: 9:45am] I going to see Peral at 12:30 

 

It’s close to ten in the morning, and the sun is hanging in the sky and shining its arms out as far as it can. He spent a few hours at the mine with Trini,  just the two of them. She told him all about her upcoming wedding to Kim. Kim wants to wear a tux. They want an outdoor wedding and to take pictures on the pier. Trini isn’t sure if she wants a tux or a dress. She wants him to be her ‘best man’. It sounds like a wonderful time and he does want to be a part of it. 

He opens the fridge, and discovers that they need to go shopping, as they don’t appear to have much other than leftover pizza . He takes the box out anyway, and picks mushrooms off the top of the slice. It tastes like fridge when he takes a bite and he hates it. It’s  clearly been there for a few days by now, and the taste of olive has bled through into everything. But that’s fine. He ate two pieces and took an aspirin for his headache. His body protests  being forced to stay up all night long with little caffeine to keep his eyes open. He’s thinking of heading to bed when he realizes something. 

His father is not around. This worries him, because his father is always around. He’s not working today because no one is. There’s nothing to do, the boats aren’t allowed to go out. Her power coin is still in his pocket, warm against his skin. It should have vanished by now, gone back to her. But it hasn’t. He hopes with all his heart that he hasn’t  been taken him back as a Power Ranger. He doesn’t know what he would do if that happened. He has to find a way to get it back to her. He’ll take it to her, when they go to see her. 

Shoving the crust into his mouth, he turned the corner, and opened the door to the shed a crack. No Sam. He wanders into his room, no note or Sam. He checked the shed, and then the living room, dining room and then he approached the door to his dad’s room. He knocked and then pressed in. 

His father is still in bed, with the blankets pulled up to his chin. Jason swallowed, and walked over. 

“Can I get in the bed with you?” Sam glanced over, and then nodded. He sat on the bed and tugged his shoes off. He couldn’t even  be bothered to take the shoe off his prosthetic. Jason slid under the covers, and put his face into his dad’s chest. Sam ran his fingers through Jason’s hair, and held him close in silence. He didn’t know what to say now, wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet, and the feel of closeness with another person. He likes it, loves it even. It’s enough to comfort him through these dark times. 

He hasn’t always treated his father well. Especially when he was using. But despite it all, his father has taken him in with open arms. And he does love his dad. He did his best to keep it together after the death of his wife, it wasn’t his fault that Jason couldn’t cope.  He remembers many nights coming home, strung out and left high and dry but with no intention of getting clean, and he would still welcome him home . 

“Why did you always let me in, when you knew I wasn’t gonna get clean?” Sam sighed and Jason can feel it in his chest. 

“Because you’re my son.” He replied, “And I love you. I didn’t want you to die alone some place. I knew that while you were here with me, you were safe. I could protect you.” Pause. “Or I thought I could.” His voice cracks. “I thought I could protect you, both of you. But I couldn’t. I failed you both.” Jason wants to cry and tell him he didn’t but the words don’t come. “I’m losing you both.” He whispered, “And I don’t know what to do.” He said, continuing to stroke his fingers through Jason’s hair. 

“You aren’t losing me.” Jason promised, “And Pearl will be okay.”

“ Maybe . But how am I going to pay for her treatment?”

“Do we have insurance?”

“We do, but it won’t cover  all of it, and she’s so  badly hurt.” Jason nodded  slightly and took a fistful of his father’s shirt into his hands. 

“ I think I’m going to do something stupid.” He whispered, “But a good stupid.”

“Please, don’t.” His father whisper-begs. “ Just let it be, Jason.” So he does, and they lie in silence for a long time. A very long time. 

Eventually , his father pushes himself up. 

“I’m going to see Pearl. Are you going to come?”

“Yeah.” He said, “I’ll take my car.” His father nods, and opens his drawer to pull out a plain shirt. Jason leaves for his own room. 

…

Z

[SENT AT: 8:03pm] Is your offer still open? 

[RECEIVED AT: 8:04pm]: of course 

Jason is standing in the hallway outside the hospital. Pearl is not doing so well. She looks so small, hooked up to the machines. How cliché he thought, looking over at the crying woman to his left. Her husband is  just as bad off as Pearl,  possibly worse. His father is drinking from a Styrofoam cup, coffee. Jason has turned it down, when it  was offered to him. The room is full of crying and breathing, heavy and thick. The air feels like a hospital and Jason has spent a lot of time in the hospital. 

He stood, and looked into the room. He wants to cry. Everything feels heavy,  all of a sudden. He made his way back into the room and took Pearl’s hand into his own. She’s still a little warm. He took the powercoin from his pocket, and pressed it into her palm. It’s warm, from  being carried against his body for so long. Even as a superhero, they won't survive everything. How did they end up here? Why his family? He doesn’t have an answer for himself. Not this time, not any other time. 

“Where are you going?” Sam asked as he stood up. 

“Away,” Jason replied and gave his father a watery kind of smile. “I’ll be back soon.” Sam looks at him for a long time. 

“Be safe.” He pleads, “Come back.”

“I will.” Jason promises, and turns towards the door, stalking outside with long, deliberate steps. 

He drove out of the carpark  perhaps faster than he should have, knowing that he had to do something, to protect his sister . To protect his father. To make things right. 

… 


	3. The Weary Driver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all good things must end.

Z, Billy C, Kim H, Tommy O, Trini

[SENT AT: 7:00pm] meet me at zacks place. 

As he pulled up to Zack’s place and made the journey from the car park to the trailer, he is not surprised to see all the cars lined up along the way . He approached the house, he can see everyone sitting there, waiting for him. Zack has the blocks lined up for them to take. The others all look worried, except for Tommy, who looks pissed to have to be out of his pajamas past six pm. 

As he approaches, the others are all looking at him  curiously . Despite everything, they still come. He loves them all so much. He approaches them , and comes to a standstill. Everyone looks at him, like he is still their fearless leader, the one who knows the answers, who calls the shots. He is not that anymore. 

“How is Pearl?” Tommy asks the first to break the settled silence. After a pregnant pause, Jason replies 

“Bad.” He nods, and keeps his arms folded. 

“So is this to help?” Tommy continues, face hard, eyes harder. He is impossible to read most of the time, and even harder to understand. 

“Yes. I’m not asking for help. I want you to know, and to ask if you could help the new Rangers. They need it.” They all look at him, eyes wide. Billy has a slight frown. Trini and Kim are holding hands. Tommy has his arms folded, Zack is smoking a cigarette, impassive. 

“Of course.” Kim says, after a moment. “Of course we will.” She repeated, holding tighter onto Trini’s arm. 

“Yes.” Billy says, “Though I don’t know how useful I can be, given that I haven’t been a Power Ranger for such a long time.”

“I suppose.” Tommy sighs, “But they may not want us.” Zack says nothing. He nods his head and then looks at his shaking hands. He’s going to do this. He’s going to do this. 

“I’m coming with you.”Billy says, after a moment. “You can’t do this alone.” Jason can, Jason will. It’s what he’s good at. But Billy has a point, which is why he was bringing Zack. 

“You should-“

“I know what I should and should not do.” He says, looking at Jason with determination in his eyes. “But you need help.”

“I’m going too.” Tommy announces,

“Me three.”  Kimberly decides. 

“I go where she goes.” Trini says, in the following silence. Zack nods, and then says 

“We’ll need another car.”

“I have a van. Well. My mother has a van.” Billy says, “Which I brought, because I thought that  I might have to do something like this.” Jason looks at him in surprised, and concedes. 

“Okay.” He says, finally. Billy smiles at him, despite the situation. Jason smiles back. Zack tosses his cigarette onto the ground and snuffs it out with his foot. They booth look to the van, and set about filling it. 

…

The drive is long and winding. Jason is in the driver's seat, as they travel past the limits of the town. Kim has turned on the radio, and over the airwaves, a song that Jason doesn’t know is playing, but he likes the lyrics. Something about being bad for good. There’s a guitar. He played the guitar as a child, but he has never  really learned it well enough to hold up if examined. 

He knows that he’s thinking to pass the time, he doesn’t want to think too much about what they’re doing, it’s dangerous. They’re Power Rangers, turned drug mules. What a resume.  The road is long and their only direction comes from Zack who  occasionally speaks over the radio to tell him to turn . This particular road is long and flat. And dusty. They sit in silence, with only Billy trying to strike up a conversation. But  eventually , he too falls silent. 

Around three am, they pull up to a diner. Jason needs to stretch his legs, and Kim has to pee. The dull neon lights try to make an unappealing joint in the middle of nowhere seem appealing, but it fails. The windows  are unwashed and the air smells like fumes. They head inside and the woman behind the counter regards them  boredly . He can’t tell if the place is retro themed or  just hasn’t  been updated since the fifties.  Kimberly headed for the restroom, the rest of them sat at a table to drink coffee or something. Billy has water. Trini orders a piece of  mostly defrosted cake.

The coffee tastes like dirt. The sort of coffee that it won't matter how much sugar he adds, it won't taste better. He still tries. Three and a half packets of sugar scatter across the table and the tiny granules shine in the light. After two cups, he moved outside, and lit up a cigarette. It tastes disgusting but the nicotine is good in his veins. There are a couple of other cars parked outside the building. A white four wheel drive. A sedan with a cracked window. He takes another breath into his lungs. 

A second figure joins him. Billy is wearing an overcoat with a tie, like an old fashioned trench coat. It’s navy blue. Blue was always his color, anyway. Jason took another drag from his cigarette. Billy eyes it with disgust. 

“Those things will kill you.” 

“ Maybe .” He replied, with a small smile. Billy folded his arms over his chest to protect himself against the cold. He looks beautiful. The thought catches him off guard. Even after all this time, Billy still has such an effect on him. He would still do anything for him. Jason drops the white and orange death stick onto the ground and crushes it under his boot. 

“ I don’t understand why people smoke them, when they know that they could kill them.”

“There’s plenty of reasons why. Some like the taste, most  just like the nicotine and the false sense of being calm it invokes.” 

“Which one are you?” 

“ The second.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. He replied, and turned his eyes back to the empty parking lot. Billy does as well. 

“I had a dream where we  were married once.” Billy said, his breath is visible in front of his mouth, pale against the darkness of the night. 

“Did we have a nice wedding?” 

“I can’t remember. I remember that I was wearing a red suit.” 

“That’s my color.” 

“No one owns colors. But you do wear a lot of red. Or you used to.” I don’t know you anymore. It remains unsaid. It sits in the air, hanging from it like a desperate flag, torn from the wind. “I miss you.” Billy says, softer. 

“I missed you more.” Jason said, softer.  Like it was the good old days, and they were joking around having  been separated for only a period, rather than over five years . 

“ I wonder if it was a mistake to leave, sometimes.” Billy confessed, “If you needed me, if I would have made it easier.” 

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes.” Jason says, finally. “My whole life  is bookended by them. In fact,  I think I’ve made more mistakes than I have good choices.” Long pause, “But there is one choice in my life that I could never regret. And that was you, Billy Cranston.” Longer pause. “Leaving was the right choice. I’m unreliable, unstable, and kind of a dumbass. You deserve better.” Billy sighed  softly , and reached to fiddle  slightly with the tie for his jacket. He doesn’t seem to know what to say, and neither does Jason. “I’m scared, Billy.” He admitted, finally. “I don’t know what happens from here. I  just want to help my family.” 

“We’ll be okay.” He promised, looking out to the carpark. “ I know it. “ 

…

They arrived at the abandoned, distant farm close to six am. The sky is beginning to  be painted by the outreach of the whispery arms of the sun.  The farmhouse  is located close to the center of the farm, with a man outside holding onto a heavy bag which Jason could presume was full of money .  The radio was off, and machinery could  be heard among the soft sounds of animals going about their business . 

He pulled the van to a stop and everyone piled out. A dog is barking nearby, loud and aggressive. Kim pulls closer to Trini. Billy and Zack both look  deeply concerned, pulling closer to one another. Jason takes up the mantle of the leader. He approaches the man who looks at him. 

“You have it?” He asked, sounding every bit the stereotype he portrayed himself as. He was an unusual looking man with cheekbones high enough to cut a man. His name is Moss.  He graduated from high school a few years before Jason, and was only worth remembering because he dated a boy in Jason’s year named James for a long ass time . James was only worth remembering because he was  eventually expelled. Some kid made the mistake of thinking that because his face was soft, that he was also soft. That kid was in hospital for weeks.  These thoughts did little to settle Jason’s nerves, and possible only made him feel worse, if this was the kind of person Moss was hanging around with . 

As he approached, James emerged from the farmhouse with a grim expression plastered to his pale face . He stood next to Moss, to even the playing field. Moss remains impassive to the situation,  simply waiting for someone to speak first. A power move, then. 

“Do you have the money?” Jason asks as Zack joins him. They must look disheveled. Moss looks them up and down , taking his disheveled group in. Jason, an ex-drug addict. Billy, a genius. Kim, hanging  tiredly onto Trini. Trini, doing her best to look intimidating but coming across as small. Tommy and his perpetual scowl of annoyance. Zacks twitching fingers. Somehow, Moss is more frightening, than Zed and Rita combined.  Perhaps it was their lack of powers.  Perhaps it was the fact that Moss looks like something out of a cartoon. 

“Do you have your end of the bargain?” he asks. Zack nods his head yes. Tommy opens the back of the van. Moss looks at James, who walks around. He looks back and nods. “Unload it.” Moss demands. Zack and the others all move to unload the van, while Jason stayed, maintaining eye contact. It’s a power play, the whole interaction is.  Jason is certain that Moss can hear his heart as it thuds away in his chest, pounding his ribcage into submission . 

“It’s all here.” James says, moving back around behind Moss, arms folded. 

“Get the fuck out of here.” Moss said, after a moment. 

“Give me the fuckin’ money.” Is Jason’s reply, standing his ground. 

“I don’t fuckin’ think so. You brought a truckload of people out here.” Moss says, eyes hard. “You need to get the fuck off my property.”

“I want my money.” Jason warns, frowning  deeply now. He doesn’t know what do from here, he doesn’t know how to broker a deal. He wants to get his friends out of danger. He wants his sister to be well. He wants everything to go back to how it was in 2017, where the air was sweeter and grass greener and even he was new too. “And I’m not leaving until I get it.” 

“Fuck you.” Is Moss’s reply and he draws a gun, aiming it right at him. Behind him, someone screams. To his left, a gunshot rings out, followed by a second. Zack cries out. James is frantic. Jason hasn’t even realized, but he has an arm to his face, and he lowers it.  Moss is on the ground, red puddling in the dirt around his shoulders and onto James’s hands as he  frantically tries to cover the wound . He is screaming for someone named Donny. He’s too scared to look at Zack, but he powers through it. He didn't even know that he had a gun. Tommy is on the ground with him, trying to staunch the blood flowing from his left cheek. It’s a scrape, only a scrape. Moss missed. Zack didn’t. Before they can react any further, a gun cocks. James, bloody and terrified is pointing the gun at them now. 

Guns are somehow more frightening than a gold monster. A gold monster was fantasy,  barely real. It was easy to  minimize it, compartmentalize, move on because it  barely felt real, to begin with. Guns are cold, hard reality. Zack  just shot a well-known drug dealer. Zack was  just shot at. They are all going to  be shot at in a minute. Moss is bleeding. Donny is coming to even the odds. He needs to talk, he needs to be a leader but nothing comes out. No one knows what to do, what to say, how to react, how could they? They’re a bunch of screw ups. 

“Wait!” He called out, “Wait, James,  just wait.”

“You shot him, you bastard!” He  practically screams He’s waving the gun now, his voice cracking.  Suddenly he’s not a seasoned drug dealer. He’s Jason’s age. He loves Moss the same way that Jason loves Billy. Acting how Jason would act, if someone hurt him. He doesn’t see a grown man, he sees a frightened child. The whole thing was happening at the speed of light and Jason doesn’t even know what he’s saying. 

“Think, James. Think about this, okay? Moss needs medical attention. What are you gonna do if you shoot him? Because you’ll have to shoot  all of us if you do. We’re all witnesses. And then you’ve fucked it. You’ve fucked your whole life.”

“What?”

“You don’t have Moss, ‘cause he’s dead. You go to jail for killing people. You spend your whole life behind bars.” 

James looks at him, hand shaking. Moss is still bleeding. 

“Or you can give me my money, we get out of here, and you never hear from any of us again.” Time slows to the speed of a snail on a salt trail. He can hear everything. Zack’s spiked heartbeat. Billy’s heavy breathing. Moss’s quiet moaning. The flutter of eyelashes on Kim’s cheek. James lowers the gun. Trini dashes forward and slams the bag into the car. The others all begin climbing in as fast as they can. 

“We’re nobody.” He tells James, slamming open the door. “We’re nothing.”  He threw himself into the passenger seat, as Tommy slammed his foot onto the reverse pedal, taking them away into the early morning . 

…

Jason is a small boy, walking with his father through the park. Above them, autumn leaves hang hot and red on the trees, falling to the ground in lazy arcs. It’s the end of the day, and the sun is painting the horizon a soft pink and yellow. The breeze is cool, but not cold. His father smells  slightly of fish and the ocean, his big hand ensnaring Jason’s in his own. They are heading home, from a day out. Jason has grass stained knees and a smear of mud on his face from the soccer game he  just played. 

They pass people selling flowers in glass boxes, and artists selling portraits and chalk drawings on the pavement . Jason likes the feeling of the park, as they made their way home to his mother. He still has ice cream on his top lip, his reward for playing so well in the game. Lying in the dirt, a few feet away is a dead bird. 

“Dad?” He asked, tugging his hand, “Dad, it’s dead.” His father pauses, and looks over. 

“It is.”

“What happens to it now? Does it  just lie there?”

“I suppose so.”

“It can’t!” He said, “We need to bury him.” They went to grandma’s funeral eight months ago.  Jason’s father looks him,  curiously , but releases his hand, and knocks aside leaves with his foot, clearing a small gap . Using the tips of his fingers, he pulled the bird into the pile of leaves and covered it with them. Satisfied, Jason took his hand again, and they headed home for lunch. 

…

Dad

[RECEVIED AT: 4:46pm] Jason what is this??? 

[SENT AT: 4:47pm] its for pearl.

He doesn’t like hospitals, they smell like death. He feels like a walking, living cliché when he thinks that. He’s never met anyone who actually likes them. His father has gone home, having been here for the last few days. He needs a change of clothes, a shower and a sleep in a real bed. Jason left the money on the table. The police haven’t  been called , Zack is fine, Pearl is looking up. Thing are okay, for now. 

He’s sitting in an uncomfortable chair, watching her sleep. She’s so beautiful. Jason loves his sister. When he was little, he used to play families with her. Before that, he would always beg their mother to hold his sister. When their mother died, he would sit up with her at night, sharing memories. He didn’t want this life for her. 

Behind him, a door opens and five teenagers move in. They’re less subtle than his team was,  all of them are wearing their colors. A girl with a red bob is wearing an emerald skirt. The young man with eyes the color of dark honey is wearing a washed out pink jacket. the girl with thick curly hair is wearing knee high black leather boots. A boy with a limp is wearing a yellow beanie, and a boy who is holding his hand is wearing a blue flannel shirt. They all look at him, and he looks at them. 

“Why didn’t her armor protect her?” They all look at one another. 

“You know?”

“I was the original Red.”

“Oh.” The boy in pink,  seemingly the defacto leader. “You fought Rita first.”

“Me and my team did, yes.” They all look at him, eyes cool and faces impassive. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“We don’t know,” Pink says, finally. “The morphing grid is offline. No one’s coin is working” His phone buzzed. 

Z

[RECEVIED AT: 5:07pm] Meet me in the hall .

 

Jason stood. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He sighed, “She’s not meant to have more than two visitors, but I’m sure that you’ll be okay.” He told them, and turned his back, heading for the door. 

Zack is in the waiting room, face stitched up, but likely to scar.

“Hey Red.” He smiled, and pulled Jason into his arms. It’s the first time that he’s seen him since they arrived a few nights ago. He wonders if Moss is okay, if James is alright. Jason hugs him back. Zack has shaky hands, and he smells like washing powder that Kim uses. He releases Zack, who gives him a weary smile. 

“You did it.”

“Guess I did.” Zack releases him. 

“Why did you leave?” He asks, finally. 

“Because I love you.” He doesn’t know if he’s lying or not. He doesn’t know if he’s in love with Zack. 

“But you love Billy more.”

“I don’t know. I don’t…I don’t know.” Zack gives him an odd look. 

“I’m not expecting you too. I don’t want you too. I  just want to be your friend.” Jason smiled  awkwardly , and then headed for the doors, tossing the last look over his shoulder. 

…

 

He’s driving. 

He’s thinking about Billy. And Zack. And then back to Billy. 

He loves Billy. 

He loves Zack. 

He loves his dad. 

He loves Pearl. 

He’s scared. 

He doesn’t come to any conclusions, as he pressed his foot even further down on the gas. The world whizzes past him so fast that nothing seems to matter anymore. He has always liked to drive fast. He’s heading in the direction of Angel Grove,  vaguely aware of the world around him. 

He doesn’t know how he feels anymore. He wants to be with Billy, he loves Billy with all his heart. He wants to be with him, but he knows that he shouldn’t. He’s unstable. He’s a danger to Billy and his safety, for fucks sake, he put his fist through Zack’s window. He loves Zack, but he doesn’t know if it’s in the way that Zack would like it to be. He can’t be around Zack while he’s still using and risk the life that he’s built. 

Maybe he should  just give up, then?  Maybe he should drive off into the country and have nothing. Leave his job, leave his family and vanish. Be like Jason Scott never existed. Wouldn’t that be nice, then? He’s paid his debt to his father, to his friends.  Maybe he should  just go. He could, he swears he could. 

There’s a picture of his friends in his sun visor. He looked up at them, each smile, each eyelash. They were only kids, he thinks, with a slight smile. Billy is sitting next to him, grinning  widely . Zack and Trini are leaning on one another. Kim’s face  is screwed up with laughter. Tommy is making a peace sign with his left hand. He loves them,  all of them. It’s a pity it took him this long to realize, he thought,  grimly . When he gets home he’s going to take them out for lunch.  He’s going to tell Billy that he loves him, and that he cannot imagine a life without him in it, and he’s prepared to spend the rest of his days making up for his past mistakes He’s going to tell Zack that he loves him, too, and that he could never wish for someone better to have on his team .  He’s going to kiss Kim and tell her that she is so beautiful and he wants her and Trini to be that couple that people look to in sixty years as a pillar of the community .  He’s going to hug Trini and tell her that she can do so much better than Great Value, and that she is going to go so far that the rest of them will be in her dust . He’s going tell Tommy that Rita was not his fault, and that he will always be Tommy, the man who fought Rita Repulsa and won. He’s going to hug his father and apologize for being a terrible son and promise to do better. He’s going to hold Pearl close and promise her the world. He’s going to apologize to Zordon and Alpha 5 for running away how he did. 

He looks down  just in time to pull as hard as he could on the wheel. He still hits the sign. The car flips. Jason feels like he’s in zero gravity and that time has slowed to a crawl. He feels something go crunch where it should not. His mouth fills with blood. His head hurts. The car comes to a stop on its roof. 

Jason  slowly ,  painfully drags himself from the car, and out into a beautiful dance hall that now surrounds him on all sides . It’s  Kimberly and Trini’s wedding. Kim is wearing a suit, with pink flowers in her hair. Trini is wearing a cream colored dress with lace sleeves. She has a gold tiara in her hair. They’re at the reception and they’re dancing. There a warm smell in the air, he doesn’t know what it is but it smells like something he would like to eat. 

His father is there, sipping from a glass of water, watching everyone dance. Billy and Zack are dancing together and they look so beautiful. Billy’s suit is navy blue, and Zack is wearing even a black shirt. They’re laughing, loudly. Tommy is dancing with his sister, who is excited just to be included. He looks so handsome in his green tie, and Pearl is wearing a string of pearls. 

No one seems to notice him, there on the floor, and he supposes that he’s dying.  But this is a pretty good way to go out, he thought, after all: He got to see his friends and family one last time, in the one moment that they’d all been looking forward to . What more could a man ask for,  really ? As for the others? To them, it was like Jason Scott never existed. And he can’t think of anything better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! I hope that you enjoyed it <3

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from the song Flame Trees (duh) by Cold Chisel.


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